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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Locally: USA all-star team includes Shelby Cheslek, Jazmine Perkins

From staff reports, news services

Shelby Cheslek (Gonzaga) and Jazmine Perkins (Washington State), two former area collegiate standouts, are playing on the NetScouts USA Women’s All-Star basketball team that is competing against national teams in China, Lithuania and Australia through Thursday.

Cheslek, a 6-foot-5 center from Pullman and recent GU graduate, broke the program record for blocked shots in a career with 213, which ranks seventh in West Coast Conference history. She is also second in GU program history with 932 rebounds and was near the WCC lead in both categories this past season.

Perkins, a 5-10 standout guard at WSU from 2008-12, has been playing professionally in Finland with Aanekosken Huima. She became the all-time leader in games played (122) at WSU and made the second-most starts in school history (108). The Berkeley, California, native is the only Cougar, female or male, to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 250 steals.

Cheslek is the third former Bulldog on a NetScouts USA women’s tour, following Haiden Palmer and Keani Albanez, and Perkins is the second Cougar, following Ireti Amojo. Albanez and Amojo were on last summer’s tour together. Palmer was on the first tour the year before.

College scene

Ten area athletes, four from Whitworth, have been named to 2016 Academic All-District teams in track & field and cross country by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Named to District 8 Division III teams from Whitworth were Trent Alsin and Andrew Bloom on the men’s team and Dakota Kliamovich and Katie McKay on the women’s.

Alsin, a senior from Olympia with a 4.0 grade-point average in economics, and Kliamovich, a senior from Central Valley with a 4.0 GPA as a double major in biology and psychology, are repeaters from 2015. Bloom, a senior from Stanwood, Washington, has a 3.81 GPA in chemistry. McKay is a senior from Missoula with a 3.75 GPA in community health.

Jessica Mildes of Gonzaga and Bailey Mires of Washington are on the District 8 Division I women’s team. Mildes, a senior from Riverside, has a 4.0 GPA in accounting. Mires, a senior from Mead, has a 3.58 GPA in early childhood and family studies.

The District 8 Division I men’s team includes Carson Fuller, a Washington senior from Ferris with a 3.47 GPA in biochemistry, and Thane Pierson, a Washington State senior from Naches, Washington, with a 3.88 GPA in communication & society.

On the women’s College Division team are Alyssa Harmon, a Northwest Christian junior from East Valley with a 3.67 GPA in exercise science, and Lewis-Clark State senior Rachel Cundy from North Lakewood, Washington, with a 3.96 GPA in exercise science.

All are eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

Derek Bayley, a Washington State sophomore from Lakeland of Rathdrum, was named Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention in men’s golf with a 3.07 GPA in journalism.

Seniors Jordan Watson of Washington State and Kara Soucek of Gonzaga led the showing by the schools when the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association passed out postseason honors.

Watson collected a couple of awards, being named to the CRCA Region 5 first team for a second straight year, and she was a 2016 National Scholar-Athlete for the third straight year with a 3.72 GPA. Soucek, a two-time West Coast Conference Rower of the Year, was named to the CRCA Region 5 first team for the third time in her career.

WSU senior Morgan Cathrea was named to the Region 5 second team.

Watson and Soucek, who have led their Varsity 8 shells into the NCAA Championships, are eligible for CRCA All-America teams.

Watson was joined on the National Scholar-Athlete list by six teammates – Katrina Tarran, Mihaela-Teodora Berindei, Jessi Howe, Isabella Watt, Jenna Mangiagli and Emily Morrow – and six Gonzaga Bulldogs – Lily Rorick, Hannah Schneiderman, Madeleine Verspieren, Anna Johnson and Isabelle Belzil. Tarrant, Berindei and Howe were named for a second straight year. To be eligible, student-athletes have to maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher.

J.T. Konrad, a Western Washington sophomore pole vaulter from Mt. Spokane, was named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II All-West Region team. He tied for fifth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference meet and cleared a personal-best 16 feet, 4 3/4 inches this season.

Letters of intent

North Idaho wrestling – Trey Meyer, East Valley; Bryson Beard, Central Valley. Both were WIAA state champions.

Soccer

Mike Davis, who has spent two seasons on the University of Evansville women’s staff, has been named an assistant coach for the Gonzaga women’s team, Bulldogs head coach Amy Edwards announced.

Davis, who joins Edgar Anzaldo on Edwards’ staff, has had coaching stops at Wisconsin-Green Bay, St. Ambrose University and in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. He played at Berry College and has had international experience in England, Australia and Canada.

Softball

Lexi Courtney, a North Idaho College sophomore, signed a letter of commitment to play at Quinnipiac University of Hamden, Connecticut, in the NCAA Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Courtney, of Scappoose, Oregon, played shortstop for the Cardinals in 2016, hitting .365, after catching in 2015. She compiled 72 hits, including 21 doubles and 10 home runs, and drove in 57 runs in two seasons and was the NIC 2016 Female Academic Athlete of the Year and a 2015 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar Athlete.